Spring assembly for upholstery



Feb. 21,1939. w. w. GLEAsoN I SPRING ASSEMBLY FOR UPHOLS'I'ERY` Filed Sept. s, 1936 Patented Feb. 2l, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE William W. Gleason, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Nachman Spring-Filled Corporation, Chicago,

Ill., a. corporation of Illinois Application September 8, 1936, Serial No. 99,779

2 Claims.

'Ihe main object of the present invention is to provide a spring assembly resembling the type which has become generally known in the art as the Marshall type, constituting subject matter of certain patents issued to one Marshall (which have now expired), wherein each individual spring is enclosed in one cell of an articulate series of fabric cells, said cells in the said Marshall type being formed in long lengths and thereafter folded, usually in zigzag form, to bring the spring-filled cells into contiguous rows. Said cells andthe springs contained therein are then stitched together to maintain the same in desired predetermined relative positions. The object of the present invention is to provide a spring assembly consisting of a plurality of sets or strips of initially cylindrical casings of a diameter to fit snugly the springs to be contained therein and thereafter inserting the springs and securing any desired number of said strips of casings together to form a spring assembly of desired dimensions.

Another essential object of the invention is to provide strips of spring-receiving casings which are so constructed as to enable springs to be inserted into an entire series thereof simultaneously by means of a spring iilling tool such as is `illustrated and described in Letters Patent to L. A. Suekoif, No. 1,352,157, and wherein the fabric walls interposed between the springs of a row confined within said cells are not subjected to appreciable wear under the influence of contraction and expansion of said springs.

A suitable embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Fig. 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away, illustrating a spring assembly constructed in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan sectional View of the same showing a filling tool loaded with springs, projected through a series of connected spring casings preparatory to releasing said springs to permit the same to become self-imprisoned within the several cells of said casing.

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig. 2 showing the filling tool disposed in the position which it occupies a/t the instant of releasing the springs engaged therein.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail vertical sectional view of one of the casings showing a spring confined therein.

In carrying out the invention, the first step is to make up a row of spring-receiving cells by securing to fabric strips I and 2, which constitute common closures for the tops and bottoms of an entire series of spring-receiving cells, a pair of opposed vertical fabric strips 3 and 4 by means of stitch chains 5 and 6, respectively of scallop contour, whereby each of said vertical strips 3 and 4 is formed to provide a series of closely adjacent semi-cylindrical wall portions. The concave surfaces of said semi-cylindrical portions of the two strips 3 and 4 are diametrically opposed to each other and cooperate with the strips I and 2 to form substantially cylindrical cells in which springs 'I are adapted to be conned. Said cells are of substantially the same diameter as said springs 'I and are, preferably, of less length axially than the normal axial length of said springs 'I so that the latter are maintained partially compressed within said cells.

The converging portions of the substantially semi-cylindrical walls formed by the vertical strips 3 and 4 of fabric, shown at points 8 are sharply substantially V-shaped and said portions 3 of opposed vertical fabric strips 3 and 4 are disposed very closely contiguous to each other and may meet, if so desired. They are, however, maintained free from each other throughout their lengths and thus provide vertical slots 9 at diametrically opposite points in each of the said cells, so that each cell communicates with each contiguous cell of a row thereof.

After a number of sets of casings of the type above described have been completed, the springs 'I are compressed to a substantially flat form as shown in Fig. 2 and are disposed between the ilat bars Ill of the filling tool, said bars being hinged together at spaced apart points by means of hinges I I and being held against separation by means of a slip-collar I2 which is easily removed from the outer ends or handle portions of said bars I0. Preferably, one of said bars I 0 is equipped with a point formation I3 which overhangs the terminal end of the other bar IIJ when said bars are disposed in the spring-retaining position of Fig. 2.

The filling tool with its springs 'I disposed in place therein, is inserted through the slots 9 of a row of casings with the axes of springs 'I disposed perpendicularly to the normal position of said springs within the casings as shown in Fig. 4.

The second step in the cell-loading operation is to turn the filling tool through an arc of degrees so that the springs 'I in their still compressed condition are disposed axially in proper position within the said cells. The slip collar I2 is then removed and thereupon the springs cause the bars I0 to spring apart and as said CII springs expand they escape from the illling tool. The flexibility of the Walls of the casing permits the lling tool in its open position to be moved over to a position substantially tangential with the springs I when the latter are expanded, and thereupon the filling tool is withdrawn from the row of casings While the springs 1 remain imprisoned within the latter. After thus loading a number of sets of the said spring-receiving cells, the latter are disposed parallel with each other as shown in Fig. 1 and are then connected with each other by any one of several well known methods old in the art, as, for example by means of the cords I4- and l5 which are passed through the upper meeting corners of contiguous cells of two adjacent rows thereof beginning, for example, at the points I6 and Il, respectively, and around the terminal coils of the springs at said corners, said cords being passed similarly around the terminal coils of springs in the remaining cells in a direction transversely of the length of the series of cells.

. In place of or in connection with the said cords I4 and I5, metallic means, such as the resilient stakes illustrated and described in patent to L. A. Suekcff No. 1,793,724, may be employed.

By means of the present invention, a spring assembly of uniform height throughout its entire area is provided and, by reason of such equal height and the consequent equal length of the partially compressed springs, the usual crowding together and overlapping of the terminal coils of contiguous springs is more readily overcome by the stitching or other fastening means above referred to than has been true of the said Marshall type structure, which is, of course, common to the top and bottom surfaces of the assembly. Furthermore, the resulting assembly is far more durable. The greater durability is due to the fact that when the springs of the assembly are compressed, the substantially V-shaped vertical wall portion bordering the slots 9 separate and move practically out of contact with the springs, Whereas in the aforesaid Marshall type cushion, said V-shaped Wall portions are stitched together and are subjected to very destructive Wear; the expression used in the art to express this wear being that the fabric between the contiguous springs of a row thereof is "chewed up.

Practice has demonstrated that this separation of said substantially V-shaped vertical wall portions due to compression of the springs, does not cause the contiguous springs to come into contact with each other to produce noise.

I claim as my inventionz' 1. A spring assembly for upholstery comprising a plurality of articulate casings disposed side by side and secured to each other, each of said casings comprising top and bottom fabric strips, a pair of opposed vertical wall members secured along their top and bottom edges to said strips by means of pairs of opposed stitch chains each defining a series of semi-circles meeting each other along substantially the middle of each of said strips in sharply angular relation to each other, the said semi-circles of each pair of said stitch chains being diametrically opposed to the semi-circles of the opposed stitch chains and said diametrically opposed stitch chains substantially meeting each other at said sharply angular points, said vertical Walls presenting diametrically opposed semi-cylindrical cell walls cooperating with each other to provide substantially cylindrical cells communicating with each other along the vertical plane of the middle of said fabric strips, there being substantially no open space between the opposed vertical fabric Walls along said plane and substantially no spacing apart of said cells, and a spring conned within and closely hugging the walls of each of said cells.

2. A spring assembly for upholstery comprising a plurality of articulate casings disposed side by side and secured to each other, each of said casings comprising top and bottom fabric strips,

a pair of opposed vertical wall members secured along their top and bottom edges to said strips by means of pairs of opposed stitch chains each defining a series of semi-circles substantially meeting each other along substantially the middle of each` of said strips in sharply angular relation to each other, the said semi-circles of each pair of said stitch chains being diametrically opposed to the semi-circles of the opposed stitch chains, said vertical Walls present diametrically opposed semi-cylindrical cell walls cooperating with each other to provide substantially cylindrical cells communicating with each other along the vertical plane of the middle of said fabric strips, there being substantially no open space between the opposed vertical fabric Walls along said plane and substantially no spacing apart of said cells, and a spring confined within and closely hugging the side walls of each of the said respective cells, said springs being of greater length than the height of said cells and maintained normally partially compressed therein and thereby maintaining the said cells substantially closed.

WILLIAM W. GLEASON. 

